Matrimony
by junosuhon
Summary: The Dragonborn is invited to her adoptive son's wedding. So is the estranged husband that she hasn't spoken to in years. Rated M for excessive language, and eventual (gasp) sex. -HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1

It was mid-afternoon and she could feel the sweat practically drenching her face underneath the Nightingale Hood as she stepped into the inn. Fucking heat! She assumed the inn was going to be cool, somehow they always were, but she was mistaken. The hearth and body heat given off by the numerous people sitting at tables managed to make it warmer. Damn this island_. _

She saw a man in chitin armor sitting at a table alone, the very one the guards described when she asked for any knowledge of a sellsword.

"Teldryn Sero, blade for hire." he inveigled, she could almost feel the smug look on his face.

"How much?" she pulled out a bag of septims and he cooed at the sound of the metal shifting around.

"500 gold, outlander." she handed him the asking price and he stood up, stretching out and cracking his knuckles. "When are we off?"

"Right now. I have an errand to run that will take a few hours." she didn't care about resting, she wanted the Carius incident sorted out so she could get these people buttered up for some information on this _Miraak._

"You surely didn't seem the type who slept to me, outlander." the mer joked. She ignored him as they left the inn and headed for the city gate.

* * *

Teldryn was sitting on the ground recovering from a fight with Ash Spawn as she reached in her satchel for a potion to hand him. He was near the brink, and she didn't want to deal with a dead hireling.

They had gone to Fort Frostmoth and killed the Imperial man but Gods! It had been fucking tough with those weird creatures appearing out of nowhere and attacking restlessly. On the way back there were a few more when they reached the coastline. With Raven Rock in view they managed to get by without any fatal injuries, well, not her anyways.

She had finally found the potion in her satchel when someone called to her.

"Jertha?" Who here would have known her name?! Ugh, It must have been the men on the ship. They knew who she was, and men from Windhelm have no idea how to be discreet.

"Yes?" she turned around with an almost rude look on her face.

"Letter for you, from a tall young man. Said it's urgent. Anyway, that's it. Got to go."

What? She ripped it open as Teldryn looked on at her, now fully healed.

"Nord 'ey? I should have geussed. Though, I figured you as an Altmer on account of your _litheness._" Disgusting. She didn't respond to his comment as she began to read the letter.

Her face softened, and after she finished reading she folded up the paper and put it in one of the pockets of her satchel.

"What is it, a lover beckoning you to return to the homeland?" He laughed.

"No, my son is getting married."


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry it took me a while to update, this is my first story and I got a little side-tracked trying to primp and preen everything. Enjoy!**

* * *

The ride back to Windhelm on the ship was the same as it was the first time, awful and far too fucking long. It took days and the workers kept striking up superfluous conversation, you can't blame them though, it has to be boring getting paid 200 septims to go back and forth between island and continent on the same damned boat.

They docked in the morning-time and she could have kissed the ground if it wasn't wet and dirty from mud and ice. She left the Dunmer man back on Solstheim, remembering why she hadn't hired a hand in ages. He did help her out and all, but he's too cheeky for his own good.

She bought a few potions in the city and went on her way to Riften. She didn't like to linger in Windhelm. Usually she would stay a day or two at an inn if she liked the city, but people resented her Civil War affiliations here, they thought she was a traitor to her kinsmen.

Let them think that. Nord brotherhood becomes void when a man starts a war and sends "sons and daughters of Skyrim" to die in the name of a foolish religion.

It was night-time when she passed through Shor's Stone, reminiscing on a time when she was young and bright-faced and a man from the little village proposed to her, she had declined him bluntly. Gave him some lie about not being ready for a man. She was so young when she got married, and now Blaise, even younger, was getting married to that little Erith girl from the Reach. She remembers when he was the pathetic young boy sleeping on a hay pile outside, struggling and desperate for a home, now he was making his own.

* * *

It was even later when she walked into Riften. The city exactly the same as it was when she traveled through a few seasons before. She walked through the empty back alley and opened the passage to the Cistern, cringing at the loud noise it made in the silence of the night.

"And here comes our one, and only Guild Master." Sapphire said as Jertha climbed down the ladder and the few people who were still actually awake gathered around to greet her.

"I know, I know, where have I been? Well trust me, I was avoiding you all." she smiled as they gave her hugs and welcomes. She decided to greet the others before retiring for the night.

She entered the flagon and saw the usual party exclaim as they saw her.

"You here to take some jobs off my hands or waste time?" said Vex, who then leaned in to embrace her.

"I'm here because my son is getting married, so I'm staying for a few days." she claimed, removing her hood and throwing it on the counter.

"Well, you've missed Brynjolf." said Delvin, "And where has he gone now?" replied Jertha.

"He's gone off on a shill job in Solitude, left sometime in the morning." stated Vex. Jertha rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, at least he's _busy _with Guild work." she scoffed. He never had time for any of them, always claiming that his time was too consumed, yet, never seeming to leave the Flagon.

"I'm going to bed, I have to get up and preen myself in the morning so that I don't look like a total mess." She grabbed the hood off the table and exited the tavern, retreating to bed.

* * *

She was wearing a green dress that she saved for special occasions like this. She wasn't wearing anything else she normally wore except for a necklace that improved speechcraft, she didn't wear rings anymore. She entered the inn and saw Blaise speaking to a young woman and a tall, male Orc whom she recognized instantaneously. The man saw her before anyone else and clenched his jaw, making a small vein in his neck darken against his sun-leathered skin. Her chest tightened but she laughed out loud nevertheless, alerting the boy of her presence.

"Ma!" the boy embraced her, and she pulled back to take a serious look at him. It had been seasons since she'd saw him last, and she felt like an old maid standing in front of him.

"You've met Erith." He said, looking at the young woman lovingly as Jertha grinned at her.

"I remember when you were a little girl running around Left Hand." the girl blushed and almost opened her mouth to say something when the man opened his instead.

"I didn't expect you to be here so soon." he began in a way as if to insult her, crossing his large arms over his chest.

"Well you've underestimated me, haven't you?" she crooned, "I Left Solstheim early and got to Windhelm on Loredas."

The girl's eyes widened, "What were you in Solstheim for?!"

"Something I probably shouldn't discuss," she stated, ignoring the sound of smug amusement the man made in his throat. "but it's turning out to be a dead-end," _with all the Dark Elves not seeming to know anything about the people inhabiting their island_. "so when I got your letter I was elated to come home."

"Well, the wedding is tomorrow evening, and-" the boy began to fade out as the woman surveyed the man. He was still as muscular as the last time they'd seen each other, his steel armor making him seem even bulkier. What was _with_ the bastard?! Her eyes traveled up to his face and were caught by him gazing at her, a look so smug her stomach almost rolled over. She snapped her attention back to the boy discussing the schedule, inwardly frustrated at herself for being less than sly.

"-and the celebration will be afterwards." the boy finished.

"Nothing before?" the man asked, somewhat confused.

"We decided not, so that everyone can have time to settle in and rest." chirped the girl, a face of sheer boredom washing over Jertha's face, every wedding she'd been to had a party both before and afterwards. What were Bretons teaching their children?!

"Ma, will you stay at the Inn?" the boy questioned, he had said to her once when he was younger that he didn't like her to stay in 'a den of thieves', he must've forgotten that she was their leader.

"If there's a room for me, then yes, i'll stay."

"Good thing I already reserved rooms! Your's is right next to Da's." she made a disgusted snorting noise when she heard the boy say that, one both him and the girl mistook for the sound of her clearing her throat.


End file.
